We’re highlighting community groups and initiatives that are showing how Toronto can get to zero waste. You can read more about the zero waste vision in Zero Waste Toronto: A Vision for Our City.
Toronto Tool Library
Fostering a circular economy through resource sharing
The Problem:
There are many things that people really only need once or just a few times a year - things like tools, sports equipment, or party supplies. It costs money to buy good quality products that will last a long time, and you need space to store them. From a zero waste perspective, buying more stuff isn’t a solution.
The Solution:
Sharing resources can build community and reduce the amount of products being manufactured, purchased and thrown away. Sharing libraries for tools, toys, camping equipment and other durable goods offer their paying members the opportunity to share resources among members of their communities.
The Tool Library:
Since they opened their first location 3 years ago, the Toronto Tool Library has loaned over 25,000 tools to more than 2500 members across the city. The Tool Library offers lending libraries in 3 areas of Toronto (Downsview, Parkdale and East York) with more than 5000+ tools ranging from hand drills to button makers to grass trimmers.
This year, the Tool Library is growing. They are opening a Sharing Depot, a library of items including sports equipment, party supplies, camping gear, board games and toys. The Tool Library shows there is community excitement and interest in sharing resources and fostering a circular economy.
“Landfills and incineration are no longer viable options. We must learn to design products that last, share them with our communities and reuse their materials to build newer products in a circular economy. The solutions are clear; a zero waste Toronto is the path to a truly sustainable future." - Ryan Dyment, Executive Director, Toronto Tool Library & Institute for a Resource-Based Economy
Visit the Toronto Tool Library’s website to learn more (and maybe even buy your own membership)!